OT - Saving fillable PDF forms

Finally...
I buy a lot of stuff online, and much of it comes from the USA. To save
money I broker those imports across the border myself, and the PITA I've
had to deal with until now is that while the CBSA (Canada Border
Security Agency) has the forms I need available as downloadable fillable
PDF forms on their web site, I can't save those forms after filling them
out. Not unless I pay $300 for Adobe Acrobat. If I find out I've made
a mistake on a form after closing Adobe Reader, I have to fill out the
whole form over again. If I find out that I need to import more of
something, I have to fill out the same form with the same information
over again.
Adobe Reader XI is a freeware program released by Adobe just last
February that allows fillable PDF's to be saved. Don't bend over to
kiss Adobe's feet because the only reason why they did that was because
other freeware programs like Nitro Reader 3 and PDF-XChanger already had
that feature and were increasing in popularity. Adobe is more wanting
to crush these upstart software companies than give that feature away
free.
(By the way, Nitro Reader 3 allows you to extract text and graphics in
PDF forms and save them in various word processor and graphic image
formats, including Word and JPG or BMP files.) I don't know if Adobe
Reader XI does that or not.)
You can download Adobe Reader XI from any download site like Tucows or
CNET, but those sites simply transfer you to Adobe's web site, where
downloading results in Reader XI being installed on the computer you're
sitting in front of. And, if you're on dial-up like me, that can take
forever.
A better way to do it is to go to Freewarefiles.com where you can
download the installation program itself onto a CD or flash memory card.
That way, you can go to any internet cafe or restaurant with WIFI where
you have access to high speed internet, and download the installation
file in a few minutes onto a flash memory drive, and then install Reader
XI onto your computer from the flash memory drive. Proceed as follows:
1. Go to: 'Freeware Files - Free Software Downloads'
(http://www.freewarefiles.com /)
2. on the left side, click on the "Business/Organize" link
3. click on the "PDF Readers / PDF Tools" link
4. click on the "Adobe Reader 11.0.02" link (or find the Nitro Reader 3
program and click on it. It's a handy little program, too.)
5. click on the "Download Now" link.
(You might have to register as a user on the Freeware Files web site.
It's free, tho. You just have to wait for e-mail confirmation.)
That will download the installation program to the path of your choice
so that you can save a copy of the installation file for quick
installations on other computers.
You can run the Reader XI installation program without removing any old
versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader. The intallation program anticipates
the presence of an older version and will just change/update what you've
already got.
I just got home and edited some fillable PDF's to check that Reader XI
saves fillable PDF's and it does.
Finally.

OK, so which is it? First you claimed that you can't save
the forms unless you pay $300 for Adobe Acrobat. Now
you claim that Adobe Reader XI is free and it allows you to save the
forms. Which is it?

Apparently in your world businesses just provide products
for free...... Adobe actually gives a LOT of stuff away, including
apparently
what you need. So, you were lyingabove. But Adobe is still
evil.... Go figure.

Wow! Now that's surprising. You go to download and install a program
from
a website, agree to do so, and the result is the program is installed
on the computer
you;re sitting in front of? Who would ever expect that?
And if Nitro does what you want, why don't you just use it
and stop bitching about Adobe?

I see, so now, not only is it not good enough that Adobe has a free
product that does what you want, it's their fault because you're on
dial-up and it takes a long time to download. I guess all download
files,
programs, etc should be limited to say 300K, circa 1990 because
you're
still on dial-up.

Yeah, they should accomodate that method because there are soooo
many folks like you that want to do it that way.........
Go figure.....
Here;s a hint. Next time you get your little pecker stuck in the PC,
don't
take it out on Adobe and go on the internet and make an ass of
yourself.....
Rest of stupidity deleted.

I did and here's what you posted:
A- " I can't save those forms after filling them
out. Not unless I pay $300 for Adobe Acrobat. "
B - "Adobe Reader XI is a freeware program released by Adobe just
last
February that allows fillable PDF's to be saved. "

And what you posted is exactly what I said. You said that Adobe
Reader XI,
which is free, allows you to SAVE fillable PDF's. That was what you
wanted to
do, was it not? To save forms that were filled in? Boy are you
confused.
Geez....

Adobe
_ACROBAT[/]_costs_about_$300_and_allows_you_to_create_PDF_files_using_text_and_graphics.__You_can_also_use_later_versions_of_it_to_create_\"Fillable_PDF\"_forms_which_allow_you_to_type_information_into_PDF_files_and_print_it_out_with_that_information_in_the_appropriate_places.__(just_like_filling_in_any_any_kind_of_form_or_putting_notes_on_a_drawing,_but_doing_it_with_the_keyboard_on_your_computer_instead_of_with_pen_in_hand)
Adobe_[U]READER_ is freeware that allow you to read PDF files. You can
also use the later versions of it to SAVE filled in PDF forms, so that
if you make a mistake, you can just go back and correct that mistake
instead of filling out the whole form all over again.
Until recently, I was unable to save fillable PDF forms because the
versions of READER that were available free to download didn't offer
that feature. You had to have the $300 Acrobat to save filled in PDF
forms. The latest versions of READER have that feature.
And, considering that was a major nuisance in my life, I thought I'd
post in here to let everyone else that found it to be a nuisance in
their lives know that a fix was now available.
If you still don't understand it, maybe get someone else to explain it
to you.
Until recently, in order to save

Well:
A - Who would know that from your post bitching about evil Adobe?
B - It's apparently free and available, so what are you bitching at
Adobe about?

No such problem or beef here or I expect in 99% of the sane world.
And your "fix" IMO is BS, because most free versions of commercial
software expect you to be at the PC you are installing the software
at. In other words, you can't go down to Starbucks, download the
install stuff and take it back to another PC.

Yes, you are correct. Normally Adobe's Download Manager will
automatically install the program on the computer you're sitting at, and
that causes me a problem BECAUSE I want to install it on a different
computer.
That's why I included the instructions:
-
1. Go to: Freeware Files - Free Software Downloads
2. on the left side, click on the "Business/Organize" link
3. click on the "PDF Readers / PDF Tools" link
4. click on the "Adobe Reader 11.0.02" link (or find the Nitro Reader 3
program and click on it. It's a handy little program, too.)
5. click on the "Download Now" link.
-
Which downloads READER XI's .EXE file to the path of your choice (such
as a memory stick or CD), SO THAT you can install the READER XI program
on any other computer(s) from that memory stick or CD.
If you don't believe me, try it yourself.
That's why I added:
I just got home from my favourite restaurant with WIFI, installed Reader
XI on my internet surfing computer and edited some fillable PDF's to
check that Reader XI saves fillable PDF's and it does. Now, I'll install
it on my business computer.

But what does that one executable contain and how big
is it? Usually when you start the install of a product like
Adobe it doesn't exist in just one downloadable file. Instead
there is one relatively small executable file that you download
and then that program in turn downloads and installs all
the other stuff, which is a large amount, far larger than the
initial file Are you saying that one
executable is all there is to Adobee Reader? That later when
you run that executable that you've downloaded at Starbucks
and transferred to your other computer, that it doesn't
require that target PC to be online and do a lot of additional
downloading?
I've seen the one file approach for simple programs, like
shareware, but in my experience, it's not the typical approach
for a more involved product from one of the commercial
companies.

Go back and reread it.
I explained that I am on dial-up on both of my home office computers.
But, I also have a lap top, and when connected to any WIFI network I can
download at 40 times the rate I can on dial-up. But, downloading onto
my laptop does me little good cuz I do most of my paper work in my home
office.
So, I go where there's free WIFI (like Starbucks) and download the
installation program with my laptop onto a memory stick.
Then I install the program onto my home office computers from the memory
stick.
Having Adobe's download manager install Reader XI on the computer I'm
sitting in front of does me little good.
The instructions I gave allow me to get around that problem. Other
people in here might want the installation program too.

You make it sound like it's unreasonable or unheard of for an online
software installation utility at a company's website to be set up to
install
said software on the PC you're currently using to access their
website.
Or that this is some problem unique to Adobe. It's not. Most of the
software that's available from companies online is settup so that it
installs on the PC in front of you.
Also, I don't see how your alleged procedure for getting around it
would work. When you go to a company's website to download and
install a program or software update, what typically happens is that
it downloads a relatively small executable file. That file starts
runnning
and it in turn downloads the rest of the files, which can be very
large
and installs them. So, I don't see how you're going to avoid that
process of downloading of the software to the actual PC
that's it's getting installed on. I think what you're confused over
is
that a lot of freeware comes in some neat compressed file where
you can download just that file. But that isn't how products like
Adobe Reader are distibuted or installed, not in my experience.

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